Pep Guardiola has raised eyebrows over Chelsea's choice to let go of Nicolas Jackson. The Senegalese forward showed promise in his debut season but appears to be heading for the exit door as the summer transfer window winds down, and Guardiola has not held back.
Guardiola warned that Chelsea's hasty decisions regarding young players have often led to painful losses for the club:
Honestly, I don’t understand this decision by Chelsea. Nicolas Jackson scored plenty in his debut season, and instead of allowing him time to develop, the club is ready to let him go. That’s how teams make mistakes they later regret.
We’ve seen it before with Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah. Chelsea let them go, and they matured into world-class players at other clubs. Look at Jamal Musiala: he was in their system, they let him leave, and now they see him blossoming into one of Europe’s top talents.
Now, Chelsea is making the same error with Jackson. He’s young and still improving. Sure, he has weaknesses, but that’s why players need time. If Jackson departs and starts scoring 20-30 goals for another team, Chelsea fans will look back and ask why the club didn’t put their faith in him.
And I’ll say it right now: Chelsea will regret selling Nicolas Jackson. They might spend another £100 million trying to find a striker who can do exactly what they already had. Sometimes, you don’t realise the value of what you have until the player puts on a different shirt.
